James Bond: Licence to thrill

Also instrumental in popularising this dinner jacket among celebs is the entry of international fashion houses in the country,accompanied by the intense scrutiny that celeb dressing in India is now being subjected to,courtesy the fashion media. “There’s no doubt that Tom Ford has made tuxedos irresistible through the James Bond movies. In India,the trend has transcended the barriers of celebdom and is catching on among fashion conscious men from other fields too,” emphasises Varun Bahl,who,incidentally,is launching a line of tuxedos next month along with his filmmaker friend,Karan Johar.

Bahl’s comment isn’t a misplaced one,agrees Rahul Khanna,who runs the label Cue with Rohit Gandhi. He is quick to add that while bandghalas are worn for cocktails and sherwanis are the preferred attire for the actual wedding ceremonies,tuxedos are getting takers for wedding receptions. “Today,there is so much more exposure to Hollywood films and international fashion trends,” he reasons.

However,Narendra Kumar Ahmed — whose love for tuxedos is well known — notes that Bollywood too,has had a brief but memorable affair with the garment. “In the ‘60s and ‘70s,several stars wore the tuxedo in the movies,including the likes of Shammi Kapoor,Dharmendra and Mehmood. Then came a phase where the Indian film industry witnessed the emergence of revenge-driven action films and there was no room for such glamour. But now tuxedos are back,thanks to red carpet events,” he explains,adding that the last five years have seen a change of attitude with respect to the tuxedo.

Another big boost has been the increasing degree of experimentation. So while Bond will wear a midnight blue hue (a rather unorthodox choice of colour for a dinner jacket),tuxedo lovers in India,too,have a fair share of variety at their disposal. Khanna says that velvet tuxedos with shiny satin lapels,as also colourful kerchiefs and polka-dotted bow ties are offering a refreshing break from the regular fare of black or white tuxedos. “Traditionally,tuxedos would be made out of wool but these days,cotton,velvet and even silk are being used,” he reveals. Kumar too,caters to the open-minded fashion lover. “One can pair the jacket with a colourful shirt or tee and a pair of jeans; the jacket could have prints on it,” he says,reminiscing about the paisley-printed black tuxedo that he recently wore at an awards function hosted by a men’s magazine. Not surprisingly,his collections over the past few seasons have seen some interesting variations,including the Asian tuxedo and the Japanese tuxedo.

Smart pricing,too,has played an important role in wooing the budget conscious tuxedo lover. “With prices as high as Rs 2 lakh for a tuxedo,the international luxury houses target only the crème-de la crème. But we have tuxedos that start at Rs 60,000 and go upto Rs 3 lakh,which gives us a wider net,” elaborates Soni.

That said,to say that the tuxedo has become a wardrobe staple for the Indian man would be an exaggeration,for it has a long way to go before that. “It’s bound to take its time here,though a start has been made. But the bottomline is that a tuxedo,aspirational as it is,needn’t be boring or intimidating. One can and should have fun with it by trying out a bold version,” ends Kumar.